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Mitsubishi's soon-to-be-released Unisen Diamond LT-249 LCD TVs will now feature Vudu's streaming video-on-demand service.

(Credit: Mitsubishi)

Mitsubishi's upcoming line of Unisen LT-249 LCD TVs were already notable for being the first flat-panel TVs with built-in soundbar speakers. But now the 46-inch and 52-inch models have a second bragging point: built-in support for Vudu. When the TVs hit retailers later in September, they'll have nearly all of the same streaming video features available in the Vudu BX100 set-top box. That includes access to YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, and Pandora online streaming as well.

For Vudu, it's the second such hardware partner in as many months to offer the on-demand video service embedded into TVs (LG was the first). While Vudu is one of many such online options on the LG Netcast TVs (they also do Netflix, YouTube, and Yahoo Widgets), Mitsubishi ups the ante by including a $50 Vudu credit for buyers of its TVs (though it must be used within the first 60 days of activation).

CNET will have a hands-on review of the new Mitsubishi models in upcoming weeks.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

About a month ago, LG announced it was adding Vudu's streaming movie functionality to its suite of NetCast services, and as of Tuesday, that functionality is officially available. We still have the LG 47LH50 on hand, so we fired it up and were immediately asked to update the firmware. After a short wait, we rebooted the TV and the Vudu icon was available.

We took it for only a short test drive, but Vudu on the 47LH50 felt nearly identical to the experience you get on a dedicated Vudu set-top box. We've seen some reports that LG's TruMotion dejudder processing--which can make films look unrealistic--may be permanently enabled, but we were able to turn it off by accessing the Quick Menu.

NetCast is currently available on the LH50 and PS80 line of LG HDTVs.

(Credit: Vudu)

Vudu's Internet video-on-demand service will be coming to select LG TVs in August. The service will effectively embed the functionality of the Vudu BX100 set-top box into the televisions, obviating the need for connecting an external box to access the Vudu's lineup of movies and TV shows, hundreds of which are available in HD video and 5.1 Dolby surround sound.

Vudu had previously announced a deal with Entone earlier this year, but the LG deal offers a more mainstream and widely available avenue for the company as it shifts from a standalone hardware maker to a video service provider. Vizio, for instance, had previously listed Vudu as one of several media providers for the "Vizio Internet Apps" that are slated for its upcoming VF552XVT model, but it has yet to provide additional details.

The Vudu feature will appear on LG's "Netcast" TVs, which currently includes the LH50 LCDs and the PS80 plasmas. It will join the already strong interactive features on those sets, which include Netflix, YouTube, and Yahoo Widgets (read David Katzmaier's review of the LG 47LH50 for details).

Vudu claims that the embedded version of its video client will offer the same features and performance as the BX100 set-top box. That unit's HDX 1080p video is the best Internet video we've seen to date, but it requires pre-caching on the BX100's built-in hard drive on all but the highest bandwidth broadband connections. We'll be curious to see if Vudu and LG can deliver a similar experience without the ample storage space.

The LG/Vudu deal is merely the latest example of TVs and consumer electronics offering increasingly sophisticated Internet media options. In recent weeks, Sony has announced that it's bringing Netflix to some TVs, while rival Samsung will be adding Blockbuster. Roku's $100 is expanding beyond its current Netflix and Amazon offerings to deliver Mediafly and Blip.tv content, with the promise of even more coming later this year. Netflix and YouTube streaming, meanwhile, is available on an increasingly wide array of TVs and Blu-ray players as well.

(Credit: Vizio)

First announced at CES, the list of Web widgets packed into forthcoming Vizio high-definition TVs is growing.

On Tuesday, Vizio announced that some of the most popular services on the Web will be directly accessible from the TV screen, including eBay, Facebook, Twitter, and Rallypoint Sports. Showtime, Web video channel Revision3, Internet radio site Radiotime, and video-on-demand service Vudu, will also be accessible on the Via Connected HDTV feature, which is powered by the Yahoo TV Widgets engine.

That adds to an already impressive lineup of Internet content from Amazon Video on Demand, Blockbuster On Demand, Flickr, Netflix, Pandora, and Rhapsody. The Via Connected service will come preinstalled in Vizio XVT series TVs, which will be available this fall. The XVT sets have built-in 802.11(n) Wi-Fi, which allows the TV to connect to the owner's wireless Internet service.

Web-connected TVs are a growing trend thanks to the growing availability of broadband Internet. At CES in January, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony each showcased similarly capable sets, and recent consumer survey data shows that buyers are certainly interested in the concept.

However, it's not just TVs. Microsoft's Xbox 360 already features Netflix Watch Instantly, and later this fall will also offer Facebook and Twitter.

(Credit: Entone)

Vudu is thinking outside the box--literally. The company's 14,000-plus movie library will soon be available on Entone set-top boxes and DVRs. A software upgrade on the Entone units will effectively add the entire functionality of the Vudu BX100, including on-demand access to HD and HDX movies.

While you may not have heard of Entone, the company supplies set-top hardware to smaller regional telephone-company-video providers. Many of those providers may have lackluster (or nonexistent) video-on-demand offerings, so Vudu's library--which includes about 1,500 high-definition movies as well--offers a worthwhile added value to consumers.

For Vudu, the deal represents the first time the company's content will be available on third-party hardware. Vudu has cut the price of its entry-level box to just $149, but having its pay-per-view content available to a much wider audience--including TV viewers who don't need to invest in any new up-front hardware purchases--is the first step for the company to transition from a box manufacturer to a service provider. Like Netflix, Amazon Video-on-Demand, or Rhapsody, Vudu could start showing as a supported feature in the increasingly long list of network-enabled consumer electronics--everything from TVs and Blu-ray players to home theater systems and game consoles.

Compatible Entone set-top boxes are scheduled to get the Vudu upgrade sometime this summer. A representative for Entone said that it should include the entire gamut of features available on the existing Vudu hardware, including the Vudu Labs features that include access to YouTube and Flickr.

(Credit: Vudu)

Pandora's free online music service is coming to the Vudu set-top box.

Vudu has announced the availability of "immediate access" to the Pandora service for users of its media-on-demand box. Vudu's iteration will allow on-screen access to the music service (as shown above), as well as the ability to toggle between multiple Pandora accounts (so several family members in a given household can access their individual personalized stations, for instance). Pandora joins the recent addition of YouTube, Picasa, and Flickr to Vudu's movie box.

Vudu is pledging to open its Rich Internet Application platform to developers later this year, which could set the stage for wider availability of integrated services and features from third parties. Pandora, meanwhile, will be available on most Samsung Blu-ray players and home theater systems shipping in 2009.

Read the CNET review of the Vudu BX100.

Lots of options already exist for getting video-on-demand via the Web.

(Credit: CNET)

The economy is in the toilet, and I know I'm not the only person in America who is looking for ways to cut costs. Top on my list in 2009 is finding a way to eliminate my $100 a month cable TV bill.

Up until very recently, the idea of cutting off subscription TV would have meant skimping on a whole lot of good quality entertainment. I must admit, I don't watch a lot of TV. But I watch enough that I would be very sad if I had to give up HBO's "Flight of the Conchords" or NBC's "30 Rock."

But thanks to that wonderful communications network known as the Internet and the fact that big Hollywood studios and TV networks have finally realized that digital distribution is actually a good thing, cable cord cutters, like me, won't have to sacrifice that much or anything at all, depending on what movies and TV programs we like to watch.

Thanks to services like Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon On Demand, consumers can simply stream or download movies or previous seasons of TV shows directly from the Web anytime they want. And for those viewers looking for current seasons of TV shows, they can turn to Web sites, such as Hulu.com or TV.com, which have aggregated some of the most popular TV shows for on-demand viewing over the Net. (Disclosure: CNET and TV.com are properties of CBS Interactive.)

(Credit: Vudu)

Most video-on-demand set-top boxes let users rent or buy downloadable movies. But high-definition movies have been rental-only, thanks to limitations from the movie studios that own the content. But owners of Vudu's on-demand box will now be able to buy a limited selection of HD movies from independent studios Firstlook, Magnolia, and Kino.

The initial roster of 50 high-def movies includes such titles as "Transsiberian" and the Oscar-winning "Man on Wire," and they'll be offered simultaneously with the DVD releases. (Viewers can opt to buy either the "instant HD" or the much more impressive HDX version of the movie, and rentals will still be available.)

Vudu is hoping that these niche offerings will pave the way for the major studios to flip the switch on HD purchases of their more mainstream fare at some point in the future.

What does it mean? The HD movie purchases offers Vudu another nice bragging right in its competition with Apple TV, but little more.

On a personal note, after building up significant VHS and then DVD movie libraries, I've moved to an almost entirely all-rental model in my viewing habits, so buying downloadable movies doesn't appeal to me--even if Vudu can get the bigger studios to sign onto this plan. And if I did want to invest in a keeper, I'm still going to feel more comfortable with Blu-ray Discs than with having movies locked into a proprietary hard-drive format.

But that's just my opinion. I'm still a Vudu fan, thanks to the excellent video quality of its HDX movies and the breadth of its 1,400-strong HD movie library. I'm just happy sticking with rentals.

What do you guys think?

(Credit: Vudu)

Vudu has cut the price of its entry-level BX100 set-top box in half. Effective immediately, the box will retail for $149, down from $295.

It's not the first price cut for Vudu. The product debuted at $399 in September 2007, then dropped to $295 in January 2008. But unlike the $200 movie credit at Best Buy during last year's holiday buying season, the new price cut isn't a temporary promotional deal. Vudu is also axing prices on the Wireless Kit (was $99, now $79) and the Vudu XL (was $999, now $499).

The BX100 was already one of our favorite video-on-demand boxes, delivering more than 13,000 selections--10 percent of that in the best HD video we've seen outside of Blu-ray--and a handful of experimental free streaming services, including YouTube and Flickr. The price cut makes it that more attractive, and undercuts the $229 price tag of the Apple TV. We're still concerned about the company's long-term viability, but the Vudu still delivers a better selection, better interface, and better video quality than, say, the 2Wire Blockbuster OnDemand Box.

What do you think? Does the price cut make you more likely to buy a Vudu box, or would you prefer one of the competitors?

(Source: Vudu via Engadget and Gizmodo)